Because the beaver isn't just an animal; it's an ecosystem!

Johnston Iowa…changing the rules one beaver at a time!


You’ll be relieved to know that the city council of Johnston, IA has voted to change the rules that prohibit trapping and relocation of beaver and have ‘voted to trap’ one nuisance beaver.

One pesky beaver won’t be a problem for the city of Johnston much longer.
On Tuesday the Johnston City Council approved a revision to the city ordinance for
Recently, a beaver has been wreaking havoc along the aptly named Beaver Creek.
City Administrator Jim Sanders said the current city ordinance did not allow for the city to trap the beaver and release it elsewhere.

I just have to ask. What on earth makes you think there’s only ONE beaver? Beavers aren’t known for living the single life in hermitage. And why does this article talk about permission to relocate with no indication of anything but trapping? I guess death is a kind of relocation….”the undiscovered country from who’s born no traveler returns” sort of thing

The revised ordinance, which was based on a similar ordinance in Urbandale, allows for trapping by a governmental unit to capture animals which are creating a public nuisance as a means of protecting public and private property. “I do believe a trap is a great way to relocate,” Matt Brown said of the ordinance. The council agreed to waive the second and third reading of the ordinance and approved publishing the ordinance.

Oh well. if Urbandale is doing it it MUST be okay. I mean, it’s not like its winter or anything. Or 6 degrees today in Johnston. I guess these beavers have been painstakingly making a food cache to withstand the freeze and when you ‘relocate them’ they’ll starve and die. You’re not doing something cruel and inhumane or anything.

And since its a new ordinance, there are no standards or requirements or laws about how to do this. No pesky rules about what kind of traps to use. No hancock’s for you. I’m sure you’ll get a snaggletoothed trapper to take out ‘the’ beaver with a snare or something. If he doesn’t die outright, he probably will starve in his new home before he dies of internal bleeding. Not to mention all the kits you’ll orphan by taking out their Dad or Mom. Hey maybe mom’s pregnant too already, so you might get an effective beaver abortion?

Well, I’m sure Iowa knows what its doing.  We let them vote first, so they must be wise. They wouldn’t just change the ordinance for nothing would they?

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